Guilford to Call a Time Out on Cannabis Sales - Zip06.com

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By By Ben Rayner • 09/28/2021 04:37 p.m. EST

With the legalization of recreational cannabis, towns across Connecticut are scrambling to understand not just the economic impact, but the social and public health ramifications of what the new law actually means for municipalities.

According to town officials, for Guilford the economic benefits seem less important than the potential quality of life issues that will be affected by the law. For others, the law is a gateway to abuse, addiction, and law enforcement is now dealing with a host of issues that legalization has brought.

So what do municipalities do?

First Selectman Matt Hoey said that he sees both sides of the issue and thinks that a slow but steady approach may be the best fit for the town. He believes the Board of Selectman will implement a temporary moratorium, which he hopes will provide a valuable breather so all aspects of this complicated issue can be evaluated.

“We know we need to deal with this, and…this is obviously a community-wide issue,” said Hoey. “A temporary moratorium will happen. And that is simply so we can get a better idea of what our community wants. The most important takeaway is that we need to fully engage with the community, in a full dialog. There are many players involved in this.”

According to town officials, there are numerous issues they must face when dealing with this issue. There are state mandates, town ordinances, planning and zoning issues, and the ultimate fact that cannabis is still illegal under federal law, which causes uncertainty when attempting to plan strategies.

Another factor stressed by law enforcement and those who oppose retail sales are the higher levels of potency in today’s marijuana products, according to data and town officials. New forms of ingestion including, edibles, oils, and tinctures can be significantly stronger and are absorbed by the body via a different mechanism than smoking, which can induce a high that is more intense, especially for newer users. That effect is even further intensified when used in combination with alcohol.

Guilford Police Chief Butch Hyatt echoed that sentiment and emphasized the drain cannabis use can place on emergency services who have to deal with users who become overly intoxicated, but stressed that training of personnel will be one of the critical steps in dealing with the law’s impact.

According to Hyatt, the law has a mandate that a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) be on-scene at many vehicle incidents to determine impairment levels, or available to conduct impairment testing at another site. Unlike other drugs such as opiates and alcohol, which have clear rubrics and measurements to determine the level of an individual’s intoxication, there is currently no test to determine if someone is under the influence of cannabis/THC and if so, how high the level is.

According to Hyatt, the biggest impact of the new law will be the training process for a DRE officer, which is not only time consuming, but academically challenging, making the hiring of these required personnel extremely cumbersome for some departments. Guilford currently does have a DRE officer, according to Hyatt, and he hopes that these new positions and certifications will be a way to regionalize some of the resources for area departments.

“We do have a DRE officer, so that is beneficial, and we hope our officer can assist in training other officers here as well,” said Hyatt. “We still don’t have a good idea of how many DRE officers we will need or the area will need to cover, as we share our DRE officer with other departments. We’re taking a look at that now to see what we need moving forward. This may be an opportunity for us and other departments to regionalize some of this work and in maximizing our resources.”

Hyatt said it was too early to determine whether his department has seen an increase or in fact any difference at all in the number of impairment stops being made since the law went into effect.

However, Hyatt stressed that smoking while driving is not legal and he implores residents to keep their THC products at home and off Guilford streets.

“Legal cannabis is no different than alcohol. This substance is now legal so residents are free to take advantage of it, but do so safely. Do not smoke and operate a vehicle. Use a designated driver if necessary and make the streets safe for everybody,” said Hyatt.

Other organizations, especially those focused on teen drug use, are deeply concerned about the new legislation’s potential effect on the most vulnerable members of the community.

Guilford Youth & Family Services (GYFS) issued a statement that read in part, “The availability of retail sales of marijuana in Guilford would decrease the perception of risk of marijuana among our youth and increase youth access. When perception of risk of a substance decreases use is known to increase. Retail sales of marijuana in Guilford would send a negative message to our youth.”

One organization that is openly against the promotion of legal cannabis is Developing Assets for Youth (DAY), which is administratively presided over by GYFS and a mandated aspect of a previous federal grant. DAY is actively advocating for a permanent moratorium on the sale and promotion of cannabis, not just a temporary one.

In a letter, accompanied by a report, sent to the Guilford Board of Selectman in August, DAY requested the town enact a permanent ban on retail sales of all cannabis products.

In part that letter read. “Guilford DAY requests the Board of selectman to ban retail sales of marijuana in Guilford. We are requesting the ban as a public health measure-a message to Guilford parents and kids that marijuana consumption is a significant health risk for kids.”

DAY founder and member William “Bo” Huhn said that the issue is very complex and urged residents to review the data on the DAY site that delineates the science on how THC effects youths both physically and psychologically.

“Somehow we need to educate parents, kids, and the public to the problem. We have to get through to people and let them know how dangerous this drug can be to youth,” said Huhn. “It is unfortunate that some people have sold this as a fun thing. We really want people to understand the risk these products pose to children and youth.”

For more information and to review the data DAY has collected, visit www.itsworthitguilford.org. There is also information at GYFS website www.guilfordyouthandfamilyservices.org.

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